Reader Eric sent a letter to his Senators expressing his support for protecting Americans’ right to keep and bear arms. Here’s the response he received from Senator John McCain:
Dear Dr. XXXX:
Thank you for contacting my office regarding the tragic shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, and its impact on federal gun legislation. I appreciate your taking the time to share your views with me . . .
As you know, on December 14, 2012, a mentally unstable gunman committed a senseless atrocity by murdering twenty students and six staff members at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newton, Connecticut. While many Americans continue to try to rationalize this tragedy it remains clear that the inhumane and depraved actions of this individual gunman appear to be motivated solely by his extremely disturbed mental state.
On January 16, 2013, President Obama and his administration introduced a twenty-three point plan which lays out both executive and legislative proposals that would attempt to prevent future violence. As the details of the President’s proposals become more clear, I look forward to reviewing them, and working with my colleagues to find sensible solutions that respect the Second Amendment but also help us prevent these type of horrific events from ever happening again.
While I am an unwavering supporter of the Second Amendment, please know that I will seriously consider all reasonable public safety legislation that comes before the Senate.
Thank you once again for contacting my office. Please do not hesitate to do so on this or any other issue of concern.
Sincerely,
John McCain
United States Senator
I’m really surprised to so no one wearing gloves in these scenarios. What does a simunition round do to a bare finger or back of the hand?
That letter is so vaguely worded so that McCain could vote for or against almost anything and not be called to account for it.
Agreed. It’s his job to read and consider any legislation that hits the Senate floor. I wouldn’t want any senator automatically voting for or against anything just because of the overall subject matter or the side of the aisle that the bill came from. Like Mike P said, this is so very vague and open to interpretation that it is effectively meaningless. If you think McCain has just made an anti-2A statement then it’s because that’s how you choose to perceive his comments.
If I were a senator sending auto-response e-mails on the question of gun control right now, I would likely say something fairly similar. Along the lines of, “I will not support or vote for any legislation that infringes upon the 2nd Amendment, but it is my duty to consider all legislation that may come up for a vote and I will give a fair read to any new bill and weigh it against the wishes of my constituency and against the Constitution that I have sworn to uphold.”
Pitiful. One would think a well-funded libtard organization like moveon could run a better false flag op than this. A gun owner? Supporter of the 2nd Amendment? Really? Not even the low information Obama stooges would fall for this.
They are specifically trying to ban hollow point ammunition as well as any assault ammunition here in California.
“assault ammunition”? WTH is that?
So let’s review for those not paying attention to the news.
Senator McCain is for amnesty for foreigners who have violated our immigration laws while at the same time he wants to throw gun owning Americans in jail for selling their personal property. Nice Guy!
On January 16, 2013, President Obama and his administration introduced a twenty-three point plan which lays out both executive and legislative proposals that would attempt to prevent future violence. As the details of the President’s proposals become more clear, I look forward to reviewing them, and working with my colleagues to find sensible solutions that respect the Second Amendment but also help us prevent these type of horrific events from ever happening again.
While I am an unwavering supporter of the Second Amendment, please know that I will seriously consider all reasonable public safety legislation that comes before the Senate.
Really John, really….. “unwavering supporter of the Second Amendment” you should have shut your mouth right there.
If a boat paddle was good enough to protect a president, why isn’t it good enough for the average citizen?
Honestly, I think he’s got brain issues.
So why doesn’t the NRA come out with a sticker that says “Moveon speaks for George Soros. The NRA speaks for me.”?
HOW do these guys keep getting reelected and reelected?? Especially in a state like AZ!
I hope that the past 2 months and the next 3 months stay laser burned into the mind of the informed voter and that we might have a chance to kick some of these clowns out of office in 2014/16.
McCain’s “Auto Biogrphy” opens with his seduction of the daughter of an Argentine diplomat’s daughter. He published this KNOWING that his daughter would someday read it. What kind of a man puts his ego before the welbeing of his own children?
He’s just anmother Crypto-Commie pushing his Leftest agenda!
WAY TO GO MIDWAY!!!!! I’ve been a loyal customer for a long time but you have me for life now! THIS is the way that the firearms industry should stand up to tyranny!
He’s Larry potterfield with Midway USA, and that’s the way it is.
Obviously she is in pain from her loss. How criminal is it for politicians to pass laws making everyone feel safe and getting voters’ support? Then these laws go unenforced! Shooter is on probation for a gun crime?! Shows how gun control as implemented in Chicago is a sham!
OMG! The Killer Rabbit of Caerbannog! Get it away! Get it away!
Si li crachait en mi le vis
Et escopi par grant vertu
Charlie (lol)
But, all the liberals keep saying that the government doesnt want to take my guns…even though they keep introducing legislation to do precisely that.
I do know he opposed the AWB in 08 and again I think in 12. Keep the pressure on him Arizona gun owners!!
I believe I’d “accidentally” tell someone to FOAD if they wanted to search my house without a warrant.
Although I tend to lean towards the “what part of ‘shall not be infringed’ don’t you understand?” side of things, you have given some food for thought. Permit me to suggest a modification to your #2. As an FFL, I’ve conducted numerous NICS checks, all by phone. Despite the recent increases in sales, all but twice the phone was answered on the first ring or two. One time I was placed in the queue for about two minutes; another time for 20. Bottom line: that part of the system seems to be working reasonably well.
There are some changes that you might consider recommending. The first concerns record retention. The FFL selling or transferring a firearm must retain records for at least twenty years. If one goes out of business or changes licenses, then the records get sent to the ATF for custody. So, while the FBI NICS center must destroy their record of the background check within 24 hours, the reality is that the record must be retained pretty much indefinitely. Suggestion for minor modification: require the FFL to retain the record (“4473”) for a moderate amount of time (say five years) and then requiring that the records be destroyed prior to the sixth year. [Same restrictions of records held by the ATF.]
Second, eliminate the “multiple sales” reports, requiring all prior reports to be destroyed. These are a de facto registration requirement.
Thank you again for keeping the discussion going.
why don’t they have 1 letter for the anti replies, and 1 for the pro replies?
That’s what i would do. These boilerplate replies are idiotic.
Don’t underestimate the impact of this stuff, folks. This is a well funded national level campaign to split the gun-owner base. I’m subscribed to most of these email lists and I’m warning you that this one has legs. They’ve been beating the anti-NRA drum for two solid weeks now, which is a freaking eternity by modern standards.
> Don’t underestimate the impact of this stuff, folks.
The anti-gunners have been running cirlces inside our OODA loop.
Two months into this and the pro-gun groups are still way behind the curve. I can’t even say we’ve been reactionary, becuase we haven’t figured out how to react yet.
The nation had no problem with these fools killing each other by the tens of thousands every year for decades. After seeing this video I can see why. No real loss.
However one idiot stops his meds and romps though a white school and it is suddenly a major problem.
….go figure
I’m going ask the reverse for arguments sake.
1. Does anyone believe we should be allowed to buy firearms without a NICS check.
2. Does anyone believe we should be allowed to buy automatic weapons without a ATF bond?
3. Does anyone think they should mandate firearms safes for the most dangerous firearms?
4. Does anyone think they should be allowed to obtain a firearm without any training on the weapon?
I firmly believe in the 2nd Amendment, but I also believe as the Supreme Court has stated that the 2nd Amendment is not without limits. I would support any _reasonable_ measure that does not unduly burden ourselves, short of an outright ban on the weapon or other restriction/removal.
At the same time, I recognize the fact, that the more deadly the weapon, the greater should be the responsibility and limiting in access. Instead of yelling at all the obviously ignorant things that don’t work, let’s propose things that _do_. I recognize that law enforcement cannot solve the problem, and am willing to accept laws that promote personal/civilian enforcement: gun training, gun safes, civilian issued (mandatory) background checks, national concealed carry.
Global elitists on both sides, Republicans (like David Frum) and Democrats, would like nothing more than disarmament; and we are almost the last stand in the free world on this issue. I want to drive our crime rates so far down, that other countries like Canada and the UK, start to recognize that _they_ have it wrong, and we have it right… because I firmly believe we do — I took the same, albeit smaller and less remarkable journey as John Lott, and came to the same conclusion. The way we win this once and for all, is to continue to reduce crime, and still have civilian arms. Let’s keep things going in the right direction.
1. Yes
2. Yes
3. No
4. Yes
Well, he’s right about one thing, the NRA doesn’t speak for the vast majority of Americans… They speak for those of us who have hired them for about $35 per person per year to speak for us.
My traces are red, my guns freshly blued; guess I did the best the blood lies on those who those who put these bills through. .
Thank YOU for keeping us informed.
There is a key word in this… reasonable, next letter from him will be filled with “common sense”.
Number one: who the hell is dumb enough to live in new jersey? Number two: who voted that fat boy into office?
Why are we listening to anyone from NJ? There are foreign countries more American than that fascist cesspool.
I Got the EXACT same letter TO A WORD. Can’t publish my response here.
Hi,
I’m looking at the Weatherby Vangard 2 currently, but it doesn’t say it has a free floating barrel. Does it have one?
Also the Remington 873 is looking interesting
Any opinions yet?
Wow, looks like someone enjoys being a subject as opposed to being a free man.
Thank you for writing. This blog is a bastion of sanity.
that section also says you cannot have ammunition if you are.prohobited from owning a regulated firearm. does that imply background checks for ammo?
Hmm…I’m wondering when the first guy to record his own DGU uses this in court.
This is what happens when little Johnny is raised being told that all his stupid ideas, that someone else thought about and discarded years ago, are “great!”. Couple that with some crowd sourcing from monkeys who don’t have the first clue about how anything is made, and voila!, you have the pathetically bad joke of Distributed Defense.
He has accomplished what exactly? Some g-code to make a sub-par mag out of the lowest grade of thermo-plastic on a rep-crap? Wow. Made a lower from the same completely unsuitable material? Ooh boy. Maybe he’ll show us how to make a barrel out of play-doh next…
There are people out there actually doing something of practical value. Things that can be made of big-boy high-strength epoxies and metals. Things that can actually be fired. For those who are actually interested in the field of making firearms, there are groups of guys who actually accomplish real stuff. Things that go boom more than once. They’ve been at it for over a decade now.
This idiot punk is as useful to the hobby of home gunsmithing as Shai Agassi and Better Place were to the world of battery powered-cars. He is drawing a whole lotta ATF attention and giving out nothing of value to the community. He’s as sub-useless as Feminine Protection Spray Russia.
Were he doing some useful google-esque project of digitizing all gun parts and putting up a wikigun encyclopedia of CAM guns- I’d be the first to throw him money and a parade.
All I get from Bob Casey, Jr. are letters that are more like a cut and paste of the news from Conn. the day of the shootings. And they are all the same. Being obtuse to constituents seems to be the politics of the left if you are from the other side and under their thumb. To me “Bi partisan” means that reps at least acknowledge the concerns of the people as a whole.
Yeah, well not all of us are lucky enough to have brothers in the State Legislature.
lol, “Idiotic. Big Mouth, Politician”; opening his mouth, before thinking this out!… Jobs; Soon to be Moving out of Colorado; Hunters, now thinking twice, about Hunting there!…
Is it me or is [email protected] kinda fishy for a email? Dont they have .gov emails?
This is AWSOME!!!! Lets also let the well known manufacturers of ALL fire arms know that we will not support those that do not support this opposition!
Or people could stand by their guns and not give them business.
Your story just says to me, “There are very few people in this world who have the fortitude to stand behind their convictions.”
That is how the USA got to where it is now. It is the result of a never ending cycle of compromise and towel throwing.
– D
Let the Gingerbread Man out of the oven NOW!